Jules Feiffer, Cartoonist, Playwright and Screenwriter, Dies at 95

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Cartoonist Jules Feiffer, who occasionally penned for theater and film, such as Mike Nichols’ movie “Carnal Knowledge” and Robert Altman’s “Popeye,” passed away on January 17 at his home in upstate New York. He was 95 years old. According to the Washington Post, Feiffer’s wife confirmed that he died from congestive heart failure.

Feiffer was a cartoonist with the Village Voice for more than 40 years until 1997.

His initial encounter with the movie industry was through the 1961 Academy Award-winning animated short “Munro,” which was inspired by Feiffer’s tale – a fable that portrays the thoughtless military mindset, where the main character, a four-year-old, gets drafted.

Jules Feiffer reworked his play “Little Murders,” a bleak comedy set in New York, which had a short run on Broadway in 1967, into the 1971 film of the same name, directed by Alan Arkin and featuring Elliott Gould. Critic Roger Ebert awarded it four stars, stating, “This is a movie about individuals pushed to mental breakdown and extreme acts of violence due to the sheer existence in a major American city.” It likely proved too grim for mainstream viewers.

That year, it was the other movie, “Carnal Knowledge,” penned by Feiffer, that proved to be far more successful. This film, featuring Jack Nicholson, Art Garfunkel, and Ann-Margret, depicted the tumultuous sexual journeys of their characters, starting from their college days at Amherst College in the 1940s and extending into middle age during the 1970s.

According to The New York Times, “Carnal Knowledge” is not only one of the toughest comedies since ‘Little Murders,’ but also the most imaginative comedy since ‘Catch-22.’ It showcases an almost perfect blend of directing and writing skills.

Initially, when Feiffer’s play “Carnal Knowledge” was sent to Mike Nichols, he believed it would be more suitable as a movie. Consequently, Nichols adapted it into a film. However, a slightly modified version of the original play eventually premiered on stage, first at Houston’s Stages Repertory Theater and later at the Pasadena Playhouse, in 1988.

Feiffer was one of the artists who provided sketches for the notorious yet enduring off-Broadway musical “Oh! Calcutta!”, which featured nude and sexually explicit scenes. This production, initially staged in 1969, also inspired a film version in 1972. Other contributors to this project included Robert Benton, Sam Shepard, and John Lennon.

Following Paramount’s defeat in the contest to create an “Annie” film adaptation, the studio began searching for another comic book character to develop into a blockbuster musical comedy. They eventually settled on “Popeye.” Since Jules Feiffer, a cartoonist with experience in screenwriting, appeared to be a fitting choice, he was tasked with writing the script.

The 1980 movie titled “Popeye,” helmed by Robert Altman and featuring Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall in leading roles, had a fair run at the cinema but didn’t become a box office smash hit, instead being labeled as a commercial failure. However, it managed to garner mixed reviews from critics, achieving moderate success critically.

The New York Times described “Popeye” as a delightfully captivating yet somewhat pretentious film, filled with high spirits and wit, but also moments of flatness and confusion. One of its funniest moments is a subtle reference to a “faulty flower,” meaning a flower with an even number of petals, which disrupts the game of “she loves me, she loves me not.” This screenplay was penned by Jules Feiffer, a master of paradox, irony, and understated humor.

Although the film “Popeye” had at best mediocre results, it marked a time when Jules Feiffer made several significant contributions to Hollywood. In 1981, Showtime aired the teleplay “Jules Feiffer’s Hold Me,” starring Katherine Chalfant and Paul Dooley. In 1984, he wrote both episodes for the sketch and cabaret series “Comedy Zone.” The following year, he penned the “Puss in Boots” episode of Shelley Duvall’s “Faerie Tale Theatre,” and also co-wrote the HBO teleplay “Day to Day Affairs,” starring James Coco and Geena Davis.

As a movie enthusiast, I’d rephrase it like this: “In 1989, Alain Resnais directed the film ‘I Want to Go Home,’ where I, an American cartoonist in Paris, was portrayed by Adolph Green. This movie earned me the Golden Osella for best screenplay at the Venice Film Festival. However, according to EbMaster, my collaboration with Resnais seemed like an unusual pairing: “Their creative offspring was this stillborn satirical comedy.

In 1991 the cartoonist contributed to a brief animated series called “The Nudnik Show.”

In 2011, the main character from Feiffer’s comic strips – a dancer – came to life as a series of short animated movies, titled “The Dancer Films”. These movies were directed by Judy Dennis and were created using some of his comic strips.

Originating from the Bronx, Jules Ralph Feiffer developed a dedicated, career-focused approach towards cartooning at a young age, meticulously analyzing comic strips found in the newspapers that his father would bring home. At just 16 years old, he started working as an apprentice under Will Eisner, creator of “The Spirit.

The third act of the musical “The Apple Tree,” which premiered on Broadway in 1966-67 and was later revived in 2006, was inspired by Jules Feiffer’s short story “Passionella.” Meanwhile, his play “Knock Knock” had a Broadway run in 1976, with Judd Hirsch as one of the stars.

In 1981-82, his play “Grown Ups” made its Broadway debut under the direction of John Madden and featured actors like Bob Dishy, Harold Gould, and Frances Sternhagen, alongside others. Later, in 1985, it was adapted for PBS’ “Great Performances,” with a different cast that included Martin Balsam, Jean Stapleton, Charles Grodin, and Marilu Henner under the direction of Madden once more.

J.J. Feiffer was honored by the Writers Guild of America on several different occasions. In 1972, he earned WGA Award nominations for “Little Murders” and “Carnal Knowledge”. He also received the Ian McLellan Hunter Lifetime Achievement Award from the guild in 2004. Lastly, he was awarded the Animation Writers Caucus Animation Award by the guild in 2007.

Lately, he has released a popular graphic novel titled “Kill My Mother,” which garnered immense praise from The New York Times, and in 2014, he published another engaging children’s book.

Later in his career, Feiffer shifted from teaching at Yale University to instructing within the MFA program at the State University of New York’s Stony Brook campus, specifically at their Southampton site. Beginning in the late ’90s, he conducted a course titled “Humor and Truth,” and in 2014, he started teaching a class focusing on graphic novels.

His autobiography “Backing Into Forward: A Memoir” was published in 2010.

Feiffer got married two times. His first marriage was with Judith Sheftel from 1961 until 1983, and after that, he married Jennifer Allen in 1983, which lasted for three decades. However, both of his marriages ultimately ended in a divorce.

He is survived by one child by Sheftel and two from Allen.

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2025-01-21 18:49